days ... such days as no human being ever lived before! I'm nearly

worn out, but I shan't sleep till I've told this thing over to you.

Then I shall go to bed. But no interruptions! Is it agreed?'

'Agreed,' said the Editor, and the rest of us echoed 'Agreed.' And

with that the Time Traveller began his story as I have set it forth.

He sat back in his chair at first, and spoke like a weary man.

Afterwards he got more animated. In writing it down I feel with only

too much keenness the inadequacy of pen and ink--and, above all, my

own inadequacy--to express its quality. You read, I will suppose,

attentively enough; but you cannot see the speaker's white,

sincere face in the bright circle of the little lamp, nor hear the

intonation of his voice. You cannot know how his expression followed

the turns of his story! Most of us hearers were in shadow, for the

candles in the smoking-room had not been lighted, and only the face

of the Journalist and the legs of the Silent Man from the knees

downward were illuminated. At first we glanced now and again at each

other. After a time we ceased to do that, and looked only at the

Time Traveller's face.

The Time Machine